


a fascination i can't get rid of

by guidingmoon



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2019-01-23
Packaged: 2019-08-02 17:42:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16309727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/guidingmoon/pseuds/guidingmoon
Summary: Hyunjin's always been intimidated by Heejin and her reputation at school, but that all changes over the summer.





	1. this melody that calls me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Hyunjin is a gay mess

No matter how much her parents press her about summer school, Hyunjin refuses to discuss it. In her mind, there's little benefit, seeing as she's already in advanced classes for next year. The only upside is that her neighbor and close friend Haseul will be helping the teachers out with classes, alongside her friends Sooyoung and Jinsoul. Other than that, there's really nothing positive about attending.

Two days before it's due to start, her mother corners her in the kitchen. "Hyunjin, your father and I decided to sign you up for summer school, so on Monday you will need to get up early in time to go."

With a sigh, Hyunjin silently resigns herself to her fate, and braces herself for a long lecture. She knows all too well how important it is to her parents that she studies extra hard in order to achieve the right grades for going on to university, though they're quite aware of how much work she puts in during the regular school term. As she goes to a gifted school, she's already at an advantage where academic talent is concerned, but this doesn't deter her parents from pushing her further.

"We sorted out your transport already," her mother says. "Haseul will drive you there and give you a ride back on some days as well. We'll work out what to do on the days that she can't bring you home. I'm sure there will be a few girls who live close by who can drop you home."

Hyunjin laughs. "So boys aren't allowed to bring me back?" she jokes, knowing the answer already. Not that she would ever want a boy to drive her home, especially as her interest is solely in girls. Still, it's fun to mess with her mother a little bit.

"Kim Hyunjin, don't be ridiculous," her mother scolds. "We'll go shopping tomorrow for supplies."

 

* * *

 

Lessons pass by in a blur on the first day. Before Hyunjin knows, it's lunch-time, and her classmates rush outside onto the lawn to eat. She joins Hyejoo and Yerim under one of the trees, and they chat animatedly about their holidays so far. 

Out of the blue, Hyejoo tugs on Hyunjin's sleeve. "Look, there's Chaewon," she whispers excitedly. 

Hyunjin raises her head and fixes her eyes on a small group of girls walking close by them. She briefly takes notice of the familiar blonde hair belonging to Hyejoo's crush, but another girl captures her attention. 

"Ah, Jeon Heejin," Yerim mutters, nudging Hyunjin. "You should talk to her more this year."

With wild eyes, Hyunjin shakes her head. "I can't, she's the most popular girl in our class. She's always too busy to talk to people like us."

Yerim sighs. "She's interested in you, though," she says. 

Hyunjin turns her attention back to Heejin, only to find the girl already watching her, a coy smile playing on her lips. The nature of her gaze doesn't intimidate Hyunjin, like it should do. Instead, she's almost tempted to get to her feet and walk over to Heejin, and ask her why she's staring like that. Confidence around girls isn't something that Hyunjin possesses, however. The two of them keep their eyes trained on each other for a while longer, and Hyunjin lets a soft grin fall over her face. 

Suddenly, the school bell sounds, and everyone hastily gathers up their bags to head back inside. Hyejoo sends Hyunjin an exaggerated wink as Heejin whips past them, clutching her books. Though it's fleeting, Heejin's hand accidentally brushes Hyunjin's waist when they're climbing the stairs. 

As they take their seats for History, Hyunjin tries her absolute hardest not to dwell on the contact she's just made with Heejin. It's been two years since she first laid eyes on Heejin, at the start of high school, and even back then Heejin was the prettiest girl in their class. There are plenty of pretty girls at the school, but it's hard to argue that Heejin isn't among the most beautiful. Despite Hyejoo and Yerim teasing Hyunjin about possible crushes, she's never broken and told them about her hopeless crush on Heejin, which she counts as a win. The day she tells them is the day she loses all dignity. 

"Welcome to History class, I'll be helping Lee-seonsaengnim over the next few weeks." Haseul stands at the front of the classroom, smiling at all of the students. Because she's so enthusiastic, everyone greets her pleasantly. Hyunjin waves at her excitedly. 

 "You all have books on your table for this class, and these will help with your assignments," Haseul continues. "To make it more fun for you all, we will be doing a small project that will run throughout the duration of summer school. You will partner up for this."

Haseul scans the room, surveying the students. "Tomorrow we'll start the projects, so think about who you might want to work with," she announces. Then she moves through the room, distributing the instructions for the summer assignments. When she gets to Hyunjin's desk, they share a grin and Hyunjin gives her a thumbs up for Haseul's solid job so far.

The teacher comes back a few minutes later, sternly silencing everyone's chatter. He commands them to begin reading the first chapter of their History books, then sits at his desk, not wanting to be disturbed by the students.

Bored, Hyunjin looks over to the other side of the room and locks eyes momentarily with Heejin, who holds her gaze and gives her the sweetest of smiles. She thinks maybe summer school is worth it, after all. Hyunjin forces herself to stop thinking about her, and concentrate on the task at hand.

With her focus solely on her book, Hyunjin doesn't notice a soft voice in her ear until a hand brushes her shoulder, and she jumps at the sudden contact. Looking up, she comes face to face with Heejin leaning over her desk eagerly, that same endearing smile still on her lips.

"Hi Hyunjin," she says, her voice a little breathy.

"Hey," Hyunjin replies. She has no clue why Heejin is so interested in her all of a sudden. They've barely interacted before, save for a couple of conversations in language class last year. Not that she should be complaining about Heejin's presence; after all, she's practically her dream girl. Yet she'd never admit that out loud, not even held at gunpoint.

"I was just wondering," Heejin begins, fidgeting with her shirtsleeves awkwardly. "Um, I was wondering whether you want to be my partner."

Amused at the wording of the question, Hyunjin raises her eyebrows. "For the project, right?" she laughs, enjoying the way Heejin's cheeks flush a deep pink. It's strange to see Heejin this flustered; Hyunjin wants to have this effect on her more often. 

"Oh! Yes, for the project," Heejin quickly clarifies, realizing how her proposal might have sounded. "Not for anything else. That would be a bit much, otherwise. As in, it would be way too fast. I'm not like that, I don't ask people out without getting to know them first, there's got to be a good connection, you know? But you're really pretty, so it's not like you're not attractive. You're absolutely gorgeous."

Hyunjin stares at her, mouth hanging open loosely, lost for words at Heejin's outburst. "Thanks?" she says hesitantly. "You're...you're really pretty too." That's a lie, because Heejin is the very definition of stunning, but Hyunjin's too much of a mess to give her that kind of compliment. 

Still, her choice of words seems to be just fine, as Heejin's face lights up even more. "So do you want to be with me?" she asks, leaning in a bit more. "I mean, with me for the project."

Her nervousness is endearing, and Hyunjin knows she can't say no to the girl, not when Heejin's looking at her with such an adorably hopeful expression. Anyway, Hyunjin didn't have anyone else in mind to pair up with, and there's no drawbacks to working with Heejin. Apart from the very likely possibility of getting distracted by Heejin's presence. She decides that's an easy price to pay.

"Sure, I'd love to work with you," Hyunjin says. She smiles to herself when Heejin jumps up and down a little in excitement. "You better be good at this assignment."

"Of course I will be," Heejin winks at her. "I'm aiming for top of the class."

Hyunjin narrows her eyes playfully. "Nothing wrong with a little competition, is there?" she grins. 

  

* * *

 

Hyunjin's never felt this nervous about school before, not even with exams. As she climbs into Haseul's car the next morning, her hands are trembling. 

"You look terrified," Haseul comments, concern lacing her voice. "There's nothing to be stressed about, it's only the second day of summer school."

Hyunjin avoids her eyes. "I'm not worried about the work," she says.

"Oh," Haseul chuckles. She just seems to  _know_. "If it's because of a girl, you can tell me if you want. You don't have to say who it is, though. Promise I won't embarrass you in front of her."

"She wants to be my partner for the History project," Hyunjin mumbles. 

At this, Haseul lets out a squeak. " _Heejin?_ She's pretty, eh? You have good taste, I taught you well."

Hyunjin smacks her lightly on the arm so as not to disturb her driving. "You can't say that about a minor!" she protests, but she's grinning. "That's inappropriate, I could report you."

They both laugh at her joke, then Haseul rubs her shoulder comfortingly. "You'll be fine, Heejin is really friendly. Also, she was the one who asked you, so I don't think you need to worry about anything."

Grateful for the encouragement, Hyunjin smiles at her. For the rest of the journey, they sing along to Sunmi's EP and Hyunjin does her best to ignore the pit of nerves in her stomach.

It's a good thing that History is the first lesson, because Hyunjin's just about ready to pass out at any second. Yerim peers at her when they're sat at their desks, and offers up her water bottle. Hyunjin waves it off. "It's fine, I'm not ill," she says.

Yerim opens her mouth to reply, but at that moment Haseul claps her hands, and the classroom falls silent in an instant.

"We are beginning the projects today, so you all have five minutes to choose someone to work with," Haseul instructs. "Remember that they will be your partner for the next month, so make a good decision."

Out of the corner of her eye, Hyunjin sees Hyejoo leap up excitedly and rush to Chaewon's desk. She feels guilty for leaving Yerim out, but then Yeojin approaches Yerim and she figures they've got it sorted. That just leaves her to the person she's been so nervous to see.

Heejin strolls over to Hyunjin. She looks exquisite today, though she's wearing a plain white blouse and denim shorts. It's unfair that she can look stunning in an outfit like that, Hyunjin thinks. 

"How's our star athlete doing?" Heejin exclaims, by way of greeting.

Hyunjin just blinks up at her, nonplussed.

"What, you forgot that last year you were in like four different sports teams?" Heejin teases.

This causes Hyunjin to almost choke on thin air. "You noticed that?" she says incredulously. 

Heejin simply nods as she perches herself on the corner of Hyunjin's desk, crossing her legs casually. "You're fun to watch. Are you going to do any sports this year?"

"I don't know, my parents don't really me to," Hyunjin says. She's about to explain further, when Haseul asks for everyone to quieten down so she can hand out the project topics and answer any questions. Haseul smirks at Hyunjin when she passes by, and Hyunjin's tempted to chuck a pencil at her in jest. She realizes that might look a bit odd, especially given that not all of her classmates know that they're good friends. She takes the high road on this one, but when she catches Haseul's eye, she makes sure to give her an evil look.

"So what topic do you want to do?" Heejin queries, handing the piece of paper over.

Hyunjin frowns at the list. "These options are so bad," she groans. "Maybe we should do Japan's colonial rule in the 20th century? Everything else is boring."

"Wow, you're picky," Heejin says. She's grinning, though, so she's clearly not serious about that statement. Technically it's true, but Hyunjin doesn't want to be a nuisance to her, so she tries to look more earnest.

"You can choose," she says. "I don't really mind too much."

Heejin taps her fingers on the desk. "We're doing this for the next month, we should choose the most interesting option." She scans the list again, just to double-check. "Yeah, let's go for the colonization. You know, there's a recent film that was set in the 1930s, I think it's called  _The Handmaiden_?"

Hyunjin gasps loudly, quickly covering her mouth. She lowers her voice and leans in so no one else can hear. "Haseul told me it's pretty intense," she says, trying to get the message across by just moving her eyebrows. It doesn't work; Heejin laughs at her expression. "Look, you can ask Haseul because she's watched it."

"I know what it's about," Heejin says, also in a hushed tone, like she's mocking Hyunjin. "My friend Jiwoo saw it with her girlfriend, Sooyoung. I guess it's a film to watch with someone you like, otherwise it could be awkward."

"Why did you mention it, then?" Hyunjin challenges.

"It's kind of exciting to see something when you're not allowed, you know?" Heejin says brazenly. "But if you ever want to watch, let me know."

If Hyunjin's cheeks weren't burning before, they sure are now, and Heejin even has the audacity to wink at her, before she slips off the desk and grabs her bag. Hyunjin watches her, at a loss for words. There's not much anyone  _could_ say in reply to that. Essentially, Heejin just offered to watch that film with her, knowing full well that it's pretty much an erotic thriller. At least she's full of surprises; Hyunjin likes the unpredictable.

 

* * *

 

Their project goes well. At least Hyunjin can concentrate when they're in the classroom, planning their presentation. It gets harder when Heejin suggests they spend lunches together. As it is, they see each other in pretty much every lesson, and Hyunjin's brain short circuits even then. Being with Heejin outside of lessons is a challenge because Hyunjin doesn't have many things to distract herself. They sit on the lawn, just the two of them, a couple of times, before Hyunjin breaks and invites their friends to join from then on. If Heejin looks a little disappointed by this, she doesn't notice it.

Sometimes it's a blessing having Hyejoo and Yerim with them. That way, if Hyunjin loses the ability to speak, they can interject and add to the conversation. The same goes for Heejin's friends, who join them after a week or so. Of course, Hyejoo is delighted to be able to spend extra time with Chaewon. Yeojin is lovely, so Hyunjin can't find any faults with their friendship groups. The six of them gel together pretty well

At other times, they feel like more of a curse. For example, Yerim's always bringing up the topic of celebrity crushes, and keeps prompting Hyunjin to add her two cents to the discussion. Yeojin rambles on about Nam Joo-hyuk, whilst everyone zones out, but they never really contribute. Hyunjin's not about to announce her sexuality to the whole world, particularly when only her closest friends know, so she stays quiet. Interestingly, Heejin doesn't say much, either. 

One lunch time, Hyejoo catches her out. They're all chatting about SNSD sub-units and Hyunjin's focused on eating her sandwich, so she doesn't really pay attention to what's being said. When she comes back to earth, Hyejoo's in a heated discussion with Chaewon. 

"Taeyeon's solos are next-level," she exclaims. "Have you  _heard_ her singing  _Fine_ live?"

Chaewon laughs. "No, but you haven't been to her concert either," she points out. "Come on, Yuri's debut was insane, and she's so beautiful."

"Tiffany's pretty hot," Hyunjin remarks nonchalantly. Immediately, she freezes as she realizes what she's just said. 

Yerim detects Hyunjin's panic, and she jumps in. "Everyone in SNSD is hot, but consider this; Hyoyeon's the best member." Everyone laughs, and the discussion changes to their biases in different groups. They breeze past Hyunjin's comment, and she's glad of it. Not that she thinks the girls would judge her for her sexuality, but she's not ready to talk about it with Chaewon and Yeojin, she doesn't know them all that well. She wonders briefly what Heejin would think of it, then shakes the thought out of her mind. There's no reason to worry about hypothetical situations like that.

Except that Heejin corners her at the end of the day, before Hyunjin's even finished collecting her things from her locker. 

"Hey, do you want a ride home?" Heejin asks, eyes bright. In fact, Hyunjin's plan was to take the bus, and she's still favoring that option after her slip-up earlier. 

"No, I think Haseul is going to drive me," she says, praying that Heejin will buy it. To her relief, the girl looks relatively convinced, until Haseul taps Hyunjin's shoulder.

"Hyunjin, you're good to take the bus, right?" Haseul checks. 

As if her day could get any more mortifying. Hyunjin sucks in a breath and nods, waving at Haseul as she heads off to the car park. She turns back to Heejin, a sheepish look on her face. "Well, I guess that's not true anymore," she laughs.

"So do you want to come back with me?" Heejin looks expectant. "I thought maybe you could stay at my house for a bit, we could start the power-point. Seeing as Lee-seonsaengnim is so strict about the deadline."

Now that's kind of over-doing it, but Hyunjin really can't refuse Heejin's request. It's become a problem, trying to resist her. 

"Yeah, sounds good," she says, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "Um, I'll just let my parents know, in case they wonder where I am. Not that I'm going to be kidnapped by a serial killer or anything, but still." She winces at how ridiculous she must sound.

Heejin giggles. "You're cute," she says, her eyes drifting over Hyunjin's face. 

Hyunjin raises an eyebrow at her. "Just because I'm funny?" she asks playfully. "That's shallow."

"Oh, I would be more shallow if I only found you hot, but luckily that's already a given," Heejin says, voice sultry.

Mouth dry, Hyunjin struggles to articulate anything in response. She decides that it's impossible to even attempt forming words. Once again, Heejin leaves her speechless.

During the car ride, Hyunjin finds her voice again, so she answers the tirade of questions that Heejin's mother throws her way. It feels like an interrogation, but she's certain that Heejin's mother didn't intend it to be that way. She seems excited that Heejin invited Hyunjin to their house. "Stay for dinner, I'll cook for you two," she insists, and Hyunjin just rolls with it.

When she sets foot in Heejin's room, Hyunjin feels at ease for the first time that afternoon. She carefully examines Heejin's bookshelf and the pictures dotted about the room. "Oh, I never knew that you have older sisters," she says.

"They're at university," Heejin says. "You have two brothers, right? Do you miss them?"

Hyunjin can't belive that Heejin knows this information already, when she's never told her. "Yeah, I like it when they come home for Christmas," she replies. Then she remembers the reason she's here. "Uh, should we start the power-point? I don't have my laptop with me."

"Don't worry, mine's here," Heejin says, reaching under her bed to find the cable, before pulling her laptop out of her bag. She gestures to her bed. "You can sit on there, it's comfier than my desk chair."

Not one to argue with that, Hyunjin sits on the edge of the bed, expecting Heejin to settle down at her desk. Instead, she comes over to Hyunjin and collapses beside her, onto her bed. 

"I just want to go to sleep," Heejin murmurs, closing her eyes. A few minutes pass by where Hyunjin doesn't make a sound, and she listens to Heejin breathing softly. Suddenly, Heejin sits up and laughs. "We should do the work," she says. "But maybe I can grab a snack, it will be a while til dinner. Do you want an apple? Or we have crackers."

"Crackers sound nice," Hyunjin says. 

It isn't long until they're eating the snacks and making good progress with the History presentation. After an hour or so, Heejin's mother calls them for dinner, and the three of them chat contentedly over the meal. They return to the project and polish up the power-point well, satisfied with their work.

Hyunjin realizes she needs to head home before her parents start pestering her, so she figures she can walk home, as it's only ten minutes away. "Tell your mom thanks for dinner again," she says to Heejin when she's standing in the doorway with her belongings. "I had a good time today."

The smile that spreads over Heejin's face is thoroughly captivating. "It was really nice," she agrees. Her smile turns into a curious one. "Can I ask a question?"

Not exactly sure where this is heading, Hyunjin nods hesitantly.

"I don't know if this is too personal or whatever, but I've been thinking about it all day," Heejin says, a little restlessly. "When you said that Tiffany's hot - was that, you know, like in a gay way? I mean, do you like girls?"

Hyunjin swallows nervously. "Yeah," she looks at her feet as she replies. "Hyejoo and Yerim know, I just haven't told that many people because it's not really something I need everyone to know. I guess I should have told you sooner."

"No, that's your decision," Heejin objects. "Really, I shouldn't have asked. I just was curious, but that's kind of bad."

"It's not bad!" Hyunjin smiles a little. "If I never said that about Tiffany, would you have ever asked?"

Heejin contemplates for a moment. "Probably," she says. She fixes Hyunjin with an expression that's practically unreadable.

"Do you like girls?" Hyunjin asks, before she can stop herself. She clamps a hand over her mouth and stares at Heejin. 

Much to her surprise, Heejin doesn't look shocked in the slightest, and she all but smirks at Hyunjin. "I do," she replies, eyes flicking downwards. Loosening her grip on the door handle, she steps forward and only stops when she's centimeters from Hyunjin. "Thanks for coming tonight," Heejin whispers, pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek.

Hyunjin walks home in a daze, wondering how on earth she'll be able to cope with Heejin taking up every single one of her thoughts.

 

* * *

 

Summer school draws to an end, and they get top marks for their project. Heejin insists they celebrate with ice cream, but it soon turns into a group outing, with all six of them. Hyunjin wishes it could have been just her and Heejin, but then the older girl promises that she'll invite her over for dinner again when school starts, so Hyunjin's happy with that compromise. They text back and forth now that they're not seeing each other every day, and the conversation never runs dry. Both of their families organized outings, so the two of them don't manage to find a time to hang out together. There's not long until school, so they don't feel so deprived.

Just a week before the proper school semester starts, Hyunjin heads to a cafe to meet with Jinsoul. The older girl had offered to give her some extra coaching with mathematics in preparation for the year. Normally Hyunjin would be excited to hang out with Jinsoul, but it just so happens that Jinsoul's invited Heejin along, as the girl needs all the help she can get with mathematics.

When she arrives, Hyunjin settles herself at one of the tables to wait for the others. She's a good ten minutes early, out of nervousness. After she gets her books out, she checks her phone for any texts, and sees that Jinsoul is bringing her girlfriend Jungeun with her. Feeling thirsty, she orders a coffee and then tries to calm herself down. Not long later, the door chimes, and Hyunjin turns to see Jinsoul and Jungeun strolling in.

"What's up, Hyunjin," Jinsoul grins. She's got one hand in the pocket of Jungeun's coat, the two of them pressed close like usual. When they take a seat together, opposite Hyunjin, they lean into each other and Jungeun rests her head against Jinsoul's shoulder. They look sweet, there's no dispute there, but the sight of them makes Hyunjin press her lips together and push down an uneasy feeling which has been slowly rising over the past few weeks. It's inexplicable, no point in trying to analyse it.

"When's Heejin supposed to get here?" Jungeun asks. She smiles warmly at Hyunjin, noticing how she's tensed up. "Hey, don't worry, it's not like it's a double date or anything, you'll be fine."

Jinsoul laughs loudly, before covering her mouth. "Sorry," she says, in between giggles. "It's just funny because Heejin told me-"

"Shut up," Jungeun mutters. She flashes Hyunjin an apologetic look, then turns to Jinsoul and whispers something in her ear. When Jungeun moves back, Jinsoul looks sheepish and she coughs awkwardly.

"Don't worry about what I said," Jinsoul says.

It's not an apology by any means, but Hyunjin doesn't have time to press Jinsoul about what she meant, because all of a sudden Jungeun scrapes her chair back and rushes over to Hyunjin's side of the table, behind her. Both Hyunjin and Jinsoul stand up automatically, and when Hyunjin twists around she sees Heejin, looking adorable in a long coat.

"Hey there," Heejin says cheerily, pulling Hyunjin into a long embrace. Several seconds pass before Heejin loosens her hold, and she gazes at Hyunjin affectionately.

"Hi," Hyunjin replies breathlessly.

"You guys ready to learn some mathematics?" Jinsoul says excitedly. She's like a puppy, with Jungeun keeping her in check. Their session is successful; Heejin actually understands equations for once, and Hyunjin's grateful for the chance to brush up her knowledge. They spend a few hours in the cafe, before Jinsoul needs to go.

Hyunjin offers to walk home with Heejin. When they get to Heejin's, they stop just below the doorstep, and Heejin holds her arms out for a hug. She strokes Hyunjin's hair a little and holds her tighter than normal. They pull apart and Heejin beams at Hyunjin. "I'll see you at school soon," she says. "This year you better not ignore me."

"Hey, I wasn't actively ignoring you before!" Hyunjin protests. "You were just intimidating, so I was too scared to approach you."

At her confession, Heejin lets out a laugh. "Aww, I can't believe you were afraid of me," she teases. "I'm serious, though, you better sit at my lunch table or there will be consequences. I have connections with Sooyoung, you know."

"Haseul is literally best friends with her, she's not a threat to me," Hyunjin grins. 

"You promise you'll spend time with me, though?" Heejin asks, genuinely looking anxious.

Hyunjin laces their fingers together. "Of course," she says softly. "I love being with you. Also, you still owe me that dinner."

Letting out a deep breath, Heejin squeezes her hand. "You're my favorite person."

Hyunjin senses the adoration in her friend's eyes and she swears her heart picks up speed. There's no way she can push away her feelings away anymore; she can't go back. In that moment, she knows she's in way over her head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  [my twitter](https://twitter.com/chuulipseuls)


	2. i've been curious these days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Hyunjin is conflicted

Returning to school is no longer a dreadful occasion, thanks to the prospect of seeing Heejin again. It hasn't been all that long since Hyunjin last spoke with her, but she's got used to Heejin's presence and it feels strange when she's not around. 

Yerim and Hyejoo attack Hyunjin with hugs when she arrives at school, and they swap stories of their holidays before their first class of the day. It's Languages, and Hyunjin isn't surprised to see Heejin sat right at the front of the room, considering her expertise in the subject. They wave at each other, but Hyunjin has to head to the middle row due to the desk allocations. By some luck, she's sat next to Chaewon, so they whisper to each other when the teacher is busy at the whiteboard.

Much to her disappointment, she doesn't get a chance to talk to Heejin at all, not even at lunchtime, because she has soccer tryouts to oversee. Her parents gave her permission to continue sports this year, so she's ready to take on the role of Captain. The girls this year turn out to be fantastic, and Hyunjin comes away from the session thoroughly satisfied. The rest of her lessons go well, but she's still preoccupied with the thought of seeing Heejin. Still, she fails to catch her in between lessons.

At the end of the day, when she gets to the exit, she's surprised to see Heejin leaning against the railing at the bottom of the steps. "Are you waiting for anyone in particular?" she asks when she reaches her.

"Yeah, I was waiting for you," Heejin grins. "My dad can give us a ride back. Unless you want to walk instead, but it's pretty far."

"Is he here already?" Hyunjin asks, peering in the direction of the car park. She doesn't recognise any of the vehicles except for one, which she knows belongs to Vivi, Haseul's friend from her work. Clearly she's here to pick Haseul up.

"He actually wants to meet us at the store round the corner, I think he's got some groceries," Heejin answers. "I'll buy you chocolate if you come?"

Hyunjin laughs. "I was going to come anyway, but you can still get me some."

This sort of thing becomes a habit, Heejin offering a ride home to Hyunjin, or taking the bus with her. It's rare that Hyunjin's parents are able to come and pick her up, and Haseul's usually too busy these days to drive her back. She can't complain though, because she gets to spend more time with Heejin outside of school. There couldn't possibly be a world in which that would be a bad thing. 

A few weeks pass, and everyone settles into the new routine comfortably. The whole time, Hyunjin's been working up the courage to ask Heejin round to her house after school, but every time she tells herself she's going to do it, she fails. It gets to a Friday lunchtime and finally Hyunjin decides that this is  _it_. She's on the lawn outside, with her and Heejin's friends, who have all melded into one group ever since they grew close at summer school.

Really, she should have picked a time where Heejin isn't lying on her lap, lounging in the warm weather, her shirt unbuttoned a fair way down. If any teachers saw, they'd tell Heejin off in a heartbeat. As it is, only Hyunjin's struggling with Heejin's disregard for school uniform rules. 

During a lull in conversation, Hyunjin clears her throat a little, drawing Heejin's attention. "I wanted to ask you something," Hyunjin says quietly, though she knows the others have their ears pricked. She can practically see the twinkle in Yerim's eyes.

"Yeah, go ahead," Heejin says, shifting her body so that she can actually look at Hyunjin.

"Do you maybe want to come to mine tonight?" Hyunjin asks, suddenly nervous. "Only if you're not busy though."

Heejin chuckles, eyes crinkling. "Of course, I'd love to, Hyunjin!" She reaches a hand up and pinches Hyunjin's cheek softly. "You know, you're so cute when you're nervous, I like it."

"Oh," Hyunjin says, unsure of what else to say. She can tell her ears have gone red.

Yeojin chucks an apple at her feet. "You guys are stupid," she says, prompting Heejin to pout at her, and throw the apple back with more force. 

"I think she means you two should get a room," Hyejoo states, giving them an exaggerated wink. 

If the ground opened then and there and swallowed her up, Hyunjin would be grateful. Instead all she gets is her friends smirking at her, and no escape from Heejin, who's still cosy in her lap. Luckily, Chaewon steers the conversation away from the topic, and Hyunjin can finally sigh in relief.

It's hard to contain her excitement over the last few hours of school; Hyunjin taps her feet impatiently in class, driving Yerim crazy beside her. Even their language teacher passes by her desk and gives her a disapproving frown, asking her to be still. The last lesson is mathematics and Hyunjin's distracted by the thought of how abysmal Heejin's math skills are, thinking back to the end of summer when Jinsoul tutored them both. Heejin isn't even in her class because it's an advanced on, but Hyunjin can't stop thinking about her. It's probably best that she doesn't tell her friends about this development; they'd either call her obsessed or they'd run to Heejin and let something slip, even if their intentions are good. Yerim and Hyejoo know how much she's agonized about inviting Heejin to her house, but they don't need to know that Heejin is pretty much the only thing on her mind these days.

Finally, the closing bell rings and Hyunjin practically sprints out of the classroom and down the hallway to end up at Heejin's locker. She only has to wait a couple of minutes before Heejin comes round the corner with Chaewon and Yeojin. Her eyes light up at the sight, and she waves eagerly at them.

"Hyunjin!" Yeojin screams, rushing over and attacking her with a hug. "I missed you today!"

"Clingy much?" Hyunjin teases. She ruffles Yeojin's hair and then gives Chaewon a hug goodbye, before those two head off by themselves. Yeojin whispers something to Heejin as she leaves and Chaewon winks at Hyunjin for some unknown reason.

Heejin raises her eyebrows at Hyunjin. "I don't know what's up with them, they're crazy," she says with a snicker. After she's grabbed her books from her locker, she holds out her hand for Hyunjin to hold. They walk to the car park, where Haseul's waiting for them. Hyunjin had to call in this special favor today, as her parents couldn't pick them up. She hopes it doesn't seem strange to Heejin that Haseul's driving them home, especially when she's three years older than them.

"Hi guys," Haseul says cheerily, putting their school bags in the trunk. She gestures for them to sit next to each other in the back seat. Hyunjin wouldn't have sat up front like usual anyway, she knows it would look rude to leave Heejin by herself. "How was school today?" she asks when they're on the road.

"Pretty good," Heejin replies enthusiastically. "Languages was really hard, though, I'm usually way better. I think it's our teacher this year."

Haseul nods. "Yuri-ssi, I mean Kwon-seonsaengnim, is tough, but she's very good," she sympathises. She spots Heejin and Hyunjin pulling faces at each other in responses to that and she grins at them. "You two are quite the pair, hmm?"

Heejin blushes, and collapses into Hyunjin's side.

"Haseul, stop being embarrassing," Hyunjin hisses, but she's smiling despite herself. 

"I just mean that you guys are like partners-in-crime," Haseul says innocently. She's not fooling Hyunjin, not by a mile. However, Heejin seems to eat up her words, which saves Hyunjin from further humiliation. Luckily, Haseul doesn't tease them anymore, and they chat about Haseul's dog for the rest of the journey. When Haseul pulls up in front of the house, she sends a knowing look to Hyunjin and mouths  _good luck_ before she leaves.

"Ready to meet my parents?" Hyunjin jokes. She can tell Heejin's a little nervous, so she laces their fingers together and gives Heejin an encouraging smile. "There's really nothing to worry about, they're pretty lame."

Her mother greets them in the kitchen and gives them some cookies fresh out of the oven. Instantly, Heejin's mood shifts and she becomes more relaxed, conversing easily with Hyunjin's parents. Her dad doesn't stick around long, as he needs to get back to his office to work. Hyunjin takes the opportunity to take Heejin upstairs to look around her bedroom. Heejin is captivated by the photo albums and book collections that Hyunjin has, and she spends a good half an hour browsing through her baby pictures.

"We don't really have any homework, so what do you want to do?" Hyunjin asks. "You're going to stay for dinner, right?"

"Yeah, maybe we could watch something for a bit?" Heejin suggests. They lie back on Hyunjin's bed and put  _Mr Sunshine_ on, because they're at the same point in the show. Hyunjin tries her hardest not to let her eyes leave the screen too often, in fear that she'll end up gazing at Heejin for ages. 

"Do you think I'd be a good cheerleader?" Heejin asks, out of the blue.

Hyunjin falters. Suddenly all she can think about is Heejin in a cheerleading outfit, how well it would suit her. Before her thoughts can wander in a dangerous direction, she snaps herself out of it. "I think you'd be great," she replies with a smile that's much too forced. 

"I want to join the squad," Heejin says. "Then you can watch me, and I'll come to your soccer games." She turns onto her side and looks up at Hyunjin through her lashes. "Don't you think that would be cute?"

Now Hyunjin's really tongue-tied. She meets Heejin's eyes hesitantly and just nods. In response, Heejin shifts closer and rests her head against Hyunjin's shoulder affectionately, the tip of her nose ghosting across Hyunjin's skin. Hyunjin shivers, and Heejin chuckles, a sweet sound that washes over Hyunjin. They stay pressed close like that, watching the show, until Hyunjin's mother calls them downstairs for dinner.

 

* * *

 

In mid-October, Jinsoul texts Hyunjin to remind her about the joint birthday party for Heejin and Jiwoo that's happening at the end of the week. Not that she could have possibly forgotten about it, not when Haseul's been stressing over what decorations to buy, and Chaewon keeps messaging her to check what cake flavors Heejin likes. Hyunjin's even received voicemails from Sooyoung and Jungeun about the planning. Heejin's been excited about the party for the past couple of weeks, and Jiwoo's also been yelling about it in their group-chat. 

In all honesty, Hyunjin's wary about Jiwoo and Heejin's party. She knows that nothing will go wrong, but the fact that people like Sooyoung and Vivi are going to be there makes her a little bit nervous. Mainly because it probably means drinking games, or something like 7 minutes in heaven (she's heard enough stories from Jinsoul to know what goes down at those parties). She has _some_ faith, because it's Jiwoo and Heejin hosting, and they're pretty much the purest people on all of planet earth. Still, it's hard not to think about all the ways in which she might mess things up with Heejin, particularly if she ends up drunk in a closet with her. 

On Friday, Haseul gives her a ride to Jiwoo's house, and Yeojin and Hyejoo tag along. The second they step through the door, Jiwoo attacks them all with hugs and kisses, throwing balloons at them. 

"There are drinks in the kitchen," Sooyoung says by way of greeting. She pulls Hyunjin into a hug and then starts chasing Yeojin down the hall. Haseul, Hyunjin and Hyejoo all shrug at each other, then head further into the house to find the other girls. 

A bunch of them are in the kitchen, to no surprise. Jinsoul and Jungeun are both perched on the counter near the fridge, sharing a drink. Vivi's chatting with Heejin at the table, and Yerim and Chaewon are pouring large glasses of lemonade for each other. Clearly their parents enforced an alcohol ban on them. Hyunjin's not yet 18, but Sooyoung whispers to her that it doesn't matter. "No one ever pays attention to the rules," she grins. 

Hyunjin knew it would come to this. A couple of hours later, the 12 of them are sitting in a circle on the living room floor, an empty gin bottle placed in the middle. Sooyoung's the mastermind behind this plan, and it's obvious that she's ready to play matchmaker. Jiwoo's sat with her, practically in her lap. Jinsoul and Jungeun mirror them almost perfectly across the circle. Hyunjin wonders if any of them would actually be willing to kiss someone who's not their girlfriend, or whether they'll participate at all. She can't believe they're playing a childish game like this.

"Let's start!" Jiwoo claps her hands excitedly. "Who wants to go first? You can pass if you want, but there will be forfeits."

In her effort to volunteer first, Hyejoo practically jumps up from the ground. "I'll spin!" she exclaims. Hyunjin knows exactly who Hyejoo's hoping to land on. Instead, the bottle lands on Yeojin and the two girls give each other a quick peck, before scrambling back to their places. Yeojin's laughing her head off and she whispers something to Chaewon, who looks unimpressed.

Jinsoul spins next, which is surprising, given that her and Jungeun have been acting clingy. The rule is that anyone over 18 isn't allowed to kiss anyone under-age, so her first spin doesn't count because she lands on Yerim. The bottle lands on Sooyoung, and everyone whistles. Jungeun and Jiwoo simply laugh, having no problem with it. The kiss is short, but Sooyoung slips in some tongue just for fun before they break apart. Jinsoul wipes her lips afterwards, sending an evil look over Sooyoung's way, but it's in jest.

"Right, Hyunjin's turn!" Sooyoung announces, giving Hyunjin an exaggerated wink. "Let's see which lucky girl you get, hm?"

Hyunjin spins the bottle and she winces as it lands on Heejin. Just her luck. Of course, now's the perfect time to remember that Jinsoul and Jungeun first hooked up at one of Sooyoung's parties.  _Great._

"Hyunjin?" 

She shakes herself out of it, and sees Heejin's concerned face mere inches from her own. She gulps, and can't help the way her eyes roam over Heejin's figure. 

"Um, sure, we can kiss, no big deal," she says. Clearly she sounds terrified, because Heejin moves back a little, sitting back on her heels.

Sooyoung pipes up. "If this is your first kiss, then you can pass." Beside her, Jiwoo beams up at her, happy that she's being sympathetic. Then Sooyoung grins wickedly. "But if this is your first kiss with a girl, it's way better than kissing a guy, so go for it."

This wouldn't be Hyunjin's first kiss. She's kissed girls before, including her best friend, Go Yujin, at a sleepover back in middle school. Then Yujin had moved schools two weeks later, so she wasn't able to follow that one up. Still, despite the fact that she's used to kissing girls, her first kiss with Heejin shouldn't be in front of other people, even if they are all good friends.

"I've kissed a girl before," Hyunjin says defensively, realizing her confession too late. Jiwoo's eyes light up, Sooyoung lets out a laugh, and Yeojin full on screams in Chaewon's ear. Jinsoul and Jungeun stay silent, but they're both smirking, and Haseul just smiles at her. 

In front of her, Heejin looks shocked. They told each other they like girls, but it's not like they've discussed it any further. Hyunjin doesn't blame her for being so taken aback; seeing as she's always been a mess around girls, it's pretty hard to believe that she's ever been successful with one.

"I'll go again," Hyunjin says hastily, noting how Heejin's shifted away from her even more. Before anyone can protest, she grabs the bottle and spins it, dropping her gaze to avoid looking at Heejin. 

"Are you serious," Hyejoo groans next to her. The bottle is pointing at Chaewon, and Hyunjin's possibly even more conflicted than before. She winces at Hyejoo and reaches for the bottle, but Vivi coughs loudly.

"You can't spin again unless you have a really valid reason," she says, raising her eyebrows in challenge.

From beside her, Hyejoo nudges Hyunjin. "Just do it," she says in a resigned tone, crossing her arms and looking away pointedly.

Chaewon shuffles into the centre of the circle and Hyunjin moves forward to meet her. They touch lips briefly then pull back, embarrassed. Yerim laughs quietly and smiles apologetically at Hyejoo. Hyunjin doesn't even dare glance towards Heejin.

It's Haseul's turn next, and she lands on Jungeun. They both roll their eyes and Jinsoul calls out "We've been here before, eh?" There's obviously a story there, but there's no time to find out, because the two of them kiss, though it's a bit longer than anyone else's. Jinsoul doesn't look pissed off in the slightest, though. Jiwoo spins after Haseul, and the bottle comes to a stop in front of Heejin's place. Everyone stares at them.

"Heejin's 18 now, they're allowed to kiss," Yeojin pipes up. Hyunjin wishes she could wipe the smirk off her face.

Jiwoo sucks in a deep breath and looks at Sooyoung, as if asking for permission. Sooyoung shrugs. "Go for it," she says nonchalantly. 

The girls awkwardly watch as Jiwoo and Heejin kiss. It's only for the briefest of moments, and Hyunjin is glad for that. Her stomach is starting to turn. There's a few more rounds, and one in which Vivi lands on Haseul. It's clear that Haseul's delighted at this, and Vivi looks pretty pleased too. Their kiss lasts far longer than previous ones, and it gets to the point where Jiwoo actually clears her throat to signal the next go. 

All of a sudden, Yerim's spun the bottle and it lands on Hyunjin. They both freeze and look at each other blankly.

"Come on, what are you waiting for," Yeojin yells enthusiastically. 

"This is a bit weird," Chaewon says, before Hyunjin can do anything. "We're all just like kissing each other. I mean, what if there are people here who actually like each other but they have to watch them kiss someone else?"

"That's a good point," Haseul agrees. 

"But we took part, and we're together," Jungeun says, gesturing to her and Jinsoul. 

Sooyoung looks around the circle. "Okay, let's stop," she says. Everyone gets up, some complaining, others relieved. Hyunjin's in that group. 

The next hours pass by in a blur. Hyunjin downs a few drinks, thanks to Jinsoul egging her on in beer pong, but at least their team wins against Sooyoung and Jungeun. She doesn't pay much attention to where Heejin is during the whole time. After the whole fiasco, she doesn't know if she's prepared to face her. At some point, Jiwoo comes up to her and says that she's welcome to stay the night. It turns out that most of the girls are staying, so she texts her parents to let them know she's sleeping over. 

The party winds down and it's 3am by the time Hyunjin decides to get ready for bed. She spots Yeojin already fast asleep on the sofa, with Yerim draped across the other one. Hyunjin wanders upstairs and sees the rest of the girls piled into Jiwoo's room, lounging around in their pajamas. Jiwoo throws a nightshirt at her, and Hyunjin hurries to the bathroom to get dressed. When she gets back, Chaewon and Hyejoo are chucking pillows at each other.

 Before she can settle in, she's attacked by a pillow out of nowhere. She looks around for the culprit, and locks eyes with Heejin, who's grinning evilly at her. "Oh, it is on!" Hyunjin yells, and she throws the pillow back with great force.

The other girls sip on their drinks and watch Heejin and Hyunjin's pillow fight with amusement.

Jiwoo nudges Jungeun. "They act like we did when we were still at school," she says fondly.

"Yeah, but with one big difference," Jungeun drops her voice. "They're not dating, but they sure look hung up on each other."

"Right, we weren't like that," Jiwoo laughs loudly, though her tone sounds a little uneasy. She reaches for Sooyoung's hand and holds it tight, leaning up to press a quick kiss to her cheek. Jungeun throws Jinsoul a bewildered look, which is returned with a smirk.

"You don't remember when Jiwoo had a crush on you?" Jinsoul murmurs into her ear. She pinches Jungeun's waist playfully. "I guess I'm too good at making you forget these things, hmm?"

Jungeun rolls her eyes. "You're so full of yourself, babe," she grins. She shoots another glance over to Jiwoo, who's face is now buried in Sooyoung's shoulder. For some reason, Jungeun can't think of a time when Jiwoo had ever confessed to her. Not thinking anything more of it, she turns her attention back to Jinsoul and pulls her in for a kiss.

Haseul crosses over to the door and switches the lights off, which causes a series of screams because no one can see anything in the pitch black. "We should go to sleep," she announces. "Then we can make pancakes for breakfast, not lunch."

"Stop being such a mom!" Jinsoul complains. "I'm older than you!"

"Shut up," Haseul laughs. She switches a bedside lamp on, and everyone makes themselves comfortable on the bed or the floor. Jiwoo's room is large enough to accommodate all of them, and she has plenty of cushions, so they're able to line the floor with them, and use blankets. 

Heejin pulls Hyunjin down next to her, covering them both with one of the blankets. She lies on her back, staring up at the ceiling. 

"Hyunjin?"

"Yeah?" Hyunjin replies, her voice a little muffled because of the cushions.

Heejin rolls over and slings an arm across Hyunjin's stomach. Her eyes are closed and her words come out in the softest of whispers. "I'm sorry I didn't kiss you tonight."

Hyunjin almost chokes on thin air. "Wait, I - it was my fault, actually," she says, voice thick. She feels her throat constrict.

"Maybe we can another time," Heejin says. "You know, if you want."

"Are you still drunk?" Hyunjin asks, trying to steer off the topic.

Heejin nuzzles into Hyunjin's neck. "No," she breathes. "I just really want to kiss you."

Hyunjin's about to reply when she hears a shout from Jiwoo, and then a massive thump. She moves her head and sees Jungeun climbing onto the bed from the floor, slapping Sooyoung's arm. The bed must be overcrowded. She turns back to Heejin, but her heart drops when she sees that Heejin's already dropped off to sleep. Gently, she presses a kiss to Heejin's forehead, then slips a hand around Heejin's waist and closes her eyes. They can talk about things in the morning.

When Hyunjin wakes up, Jiwoo tells her that Heejin's already gone home. So much for that, then.

 

* * *

 

"We have a new student joining us for the rest of this year," Kwon-seonsaengnim announces in class on Monday. She gestures towards the back of the classroom, and everyone turns to see who the person is. Hyunjin lets out a gasp and smacks Yerim on the arm in astonishment. 

"This is Go Yujin," their teacher continues. "I hope you will all welcome her to the school, particularly as she has started the year late. Is there anyone who would like to volunteer to help Yujin out today?"

Hesitantly, Hyunjin raises her hand. She knows Yujin's recognized her already, and it would be rude not to put herself forward. After all, they used to be best friends.

"Alright, Hyunjin, you can show Yujin around the school now," Kwon-seonsaengnim instructs. 

Yujin is absolutely gorgeous, nothing's really changed in that respect, but Hyunjin doesn't dwell on that fact, even though she hears the whispers going round the classroom about how pretty the new girl is. She does a quick scan of the room, and locks eyes with Heejin, who's practically glaring at Yujin. Heejin's expression turns murderous when Yujin slides her hand into Hyunjin's and flashes her a dazzling smile. Hyunjin knows she's in trouble already. They leave the classroom and Hyunjin drops Yujin's hand, striding a little ahead of her. Yujin ignores her impoliteness and attempts to strike up conversation.

"So, Jeon Heejin, huh?" Yujin smirks. "She's really sweet."

Hyunjin frowns. "Oh, I _thought_ I saw you staring at her," she remarks. 

"I didn't mean it like that," Yujin says sincerely. "I can tell you like her, I was just saying that she's nice. Are you guys dating?"

"No!" Hyunjin shakes her head furiously. "We just spend a lot of time together, like friends do. Ever heard of that?"

Yujin fixes Hyunjin with a suspicious look. "Hold on, are you taking a dig at me?" she asks. "It's not my fault my family wanted to move like six hours away. I couldn't really come back to see you guys all the time."

"Sorry, I just...I don't know," Hyunjin sighs. "It's been so long since I've seen you, it's kind of strange."

"You mean how we used to spend every day together and now this is the first time we've met in four years?" Yujin smiles sadly. She stops in the middle of the hallway, and Hyunjin does the same, turning to face her properly. "Hyunjin, I'm really sorry," Yujin says. "I wish I could have stayed, I basically begged my parents not to sell our house, but my dad had this job offer and they couldn't turn it down. You know, I never made any other friends as good as you."

Her words make Hyunjin's eyes start to sting. She quickly looks at the floor, willing herself not to cry. Yujin slides an arm around her, pulling her into a soothing hug. They don't break apart for a while, both of them taking solace in each other. Yujin pulls away first, and lifts a hand up to wipe Hyunjin's tears away from her cheeks.

"If you want to be friends again, I'd really like that, but no pressure," Yujin says softly. She's answered by Hyunjin taking her hand and squeezing it warmly. They smile at each other before they remember that Hyunjin's supposed to be giving a tour of the building. As they approach the sports hall, Hyunjin catches sight of Heejin strolling through the corridor, coming towards them. 

"Oh shit," Yujin says, noticing Heejin's stormy expression. "Should I go? She looks pissed off."

Hyunjin shrugs. "There's nothing to worry about, she's probably just coming from the restroom or something," she says.

That's true, but Heejin makes a beeline right for the two of them, and then halts directly in front of them. "Hyunjin, can I talk to you?" she asks, sounding agitated.

Yujin shoots Hyunjin a dramatic look, and pulls her hand away, taking a few steps back. "I don't want to get in the way of you guys," she says.

Knowing better than to ignore Heejin, Hyunjin lets herself be dragged further away from Yujin, so they're out of earshot. Heejin stands with her hands on her hips. "Do you know her?" she asks bluntly.

"Yeah, we were best friends in middle school," Hyunjin replies. "Is that a problem?"

Heejin visibly relaxes. "No, I just thought there was something up between you," she says sheepishly. 

"Well, she was the first girl I ever kissed," Hyunjin admits. "I don't have feelings for her now, though, I haven't seen her in four years. She moved to a different city, so I never saw her again."

"Until now," Heejin says. She nods slowly. "I just thought...after what I said on Friday night, you know. I was worried that you didn't want to-"

"Hold on, you ignored my texts the whole weekend," Hyunjin exclaims. "You can't really be upset about this kind of thing when you're the one who's avoiding the subject. That's not fair."

Heejin's face falls. "Hyunjin, I can make it up to you," she swears. "Look, I can take you out somewhere if you want. I don't want to mess anything up, I promise."

Seeing Heejin's crestfallen expression, Hyunjin can't even keep up an act of annoyance. "Okay, you owe me that," she says.

"Guys, we should get back to class," Yujin interrupts. "Kwon-seonsaengnim will probably wonder why we're taking so long to do the tour, I don't want to get in trouble on my first day here."

Hyunjin's adamant that she'll hold Heejin to her promise. They give each other a small smile, and Hyunjin feels her stomach twist at the thought of Heejin taking her out one day. She'll look forward to that.

 

* * *

 

Jinsoul offers to give Hyunjin some help with her Science assignments, so they meet at a cafe. They'd invited Heejin, but she said she was at a family gathering that she can't possibly miss, else she'll be disowned. The session goes smoothly, and Hyunjin polishes up her homework so that it's in a fit state ready for submission. They've been there for a few hours, and both her and Jinsoul are fading fast, after hectic weeks. Jinsoul tells Hyunjin about her plans for her and Jungeun's anniversary which is fast approaching.

The table buzzes, signalling Hyunjin's phone going off. Before she can look at it, Jinsoul grabs the phone and instantly her face lights up. "You have a text from Heejin, she wants to know if you want to go ice skating with her this weekend. She also wants you to stay the night at hers."

Hyunjin's eyes widen. "Ice skating is so..."

"Gay?" Jinsoul offers, stealing Hyunjin's hot chocolate. "Face it, Heejin is trying to get a date with you, there's no way you can pass that up."

"Shut up, I don't even know if it's a date," Hyunjin groans.

Laughing, Jinsoul starts typing. "It's easy enough to find out, just ask her."

"Wait, don't send anything!" Hyunjin lunges for the phone. She manages to get it out of Jinsoul's grasp, but luckily she hasn't done anything. "Should I ask?"

Jinsoul nods eagerly. She gives Hyunjin a congratulatory high five when she's worked up the courage to send the message. "Hey, I don't think anything's going to go wrong, you'll be fine. I can tell she likes you."

Later that evening, when Hyunjin's getting ready for bed, her phone dings on her nightstand and she rushes over to it, nervous to see who the notification is from. She opens the message and can hardly bring herself to look. When she does, a huge smile breaks out across her face.

 **Heejin:** _It's up to you if you want it to be a date but I'd like that x_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the comments and kudos.
> 
> [my twitter](https://twitter.com/chuulipseuls)


	3. we will be aligned now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Heejin takes Hyunjin on the date she promised.

Come Saturday, Hyunjin's just about fit to burst with excitement and nerves. That's her usual state when Heejin is involved, but this time her emotions are heightened. She's spent the week preparing herself for their date, worrying about outfits, and whether she should bring flowers. When she voiced these concerns to Haseul, her advice was to not worry about gifts, because Heejin's the one taking her out. Hyunjin's reply to this was that just because it's Heejin's idea doesn't mean she can't do something special as well. After Haseul, she asked Jinsoul, who wasn't very helpful either; she suggested that Hyunjin should give her flowers immediately and then just kiss her, so there wouldn't be anything to worry about anymore.

Safe to say, Hyunjin's a bit of a mess as a result of these conflicting pieces of advice. At least she's finally figured out what to wear. It helps that the weather is much colder now, so she has a limited number of clothes that are suited to the current temperatures. Seeing as they're going skating, she settles for a pair of dark trousers to keep warm in. Just in case she falls on the ice, she packs spare sweatpants in her overnight bag. She picks out a deep red sweater that's both stylish and practical.

Ten minutes before she's due to be picked up, she hears the doorbell ring. She's sorting through her jewellery collection, trying to find the perfect pair of earrings, so she doesn't have time to hurry downstairs before her mother answers the door. 

Her mother makes quite a commotion, so Hyunjin steps out into the hallway, peering over the banister. Her eyes widen at the sight of Heejin standing on the porch, chatting to her mother. Panicked, Hyunjin rushes back into her room and picks out a pair of hoop earrings.

"Hyunjin! Heejin's here for you!" her mother calls up.

Running a brush through her hair, Hyunjin takes a final look in the mirror to check that she looks good enough for the date. After grabbing her overnight bag, she heads down the stairs, almost tripping down them in her haste.

Standing in the light of the porch, with the setting sun behind her, Heejin is  practically glowing. She looks incredible, in a cream-colored trenchcoat and with her hair let down, in soft waves. She catches Hyunjin's eye and beams at her. 

"Are you ready?" she asks. "I don't mind waiting if you need longer. You look amazing, though."

Hyunjin can't help the deep blush that coats her cheeks at the compliment. "Well, you look beautiful," she says, avoiding her mother's knowing look. She pulls down a long coat from the coat-hanger in the hall.

"You two have a great time together, okay?" her mother exclaims, pushing Hyunjin towards the door. "You don't need to be home by a certain time."

Hyunjin frowns at her. "Remember, I'm staying at Heejin's tonight." 

Her mother raises an eyebrow. "Don't get in too much trouble, then," she says with a twinkle in her eye.

Before her mother can embarrass her any further, Hyunjin steps outside and takes Heejin's hand, dragging her to the pavement. 

"See you tomorrow!" her mother hollers.

When the front door is shut, Hyunjin turns to Heejin with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, she's a bit much."

"No, she's funny," Heejin says earnestly. She gestures towards the end of the street. "I had to park down there."

It's not far to the car, but it starts raining. As a result of this and the cold, Hyunjin starts shivering, despite her coat. Heejin steps closer to her as they're walking, and slings an arm around Hyunjin's waist. 

"You should have put more layers on," Heejin says playfully.

"I'm fine," Hyunjin says stubbornly. "Your car has heating, right?"

"Yeah, but what if it didn't?" Heejin grins. "You'd have to hold my hand the whole way there to keep warm."

"That wouldn't be bad at all," Hyunjin mutters. She steals a glance at Heejin, and takes note of her flushed face. Hyunjin smirks at the sight.

They reach the car, and Heejin reluctantly withdraws her hand from around Hyunjin. She rushes to the passenger side and opens the door for Hyunjin, then motions for her to take off her coat.

"I like a girl with good manners," Hyunjin quips. She smiles softly at Heejin as she hands the coat over, and climbs into the car. "Thanks." 

Heejin closes Hyunjin's door gently, then puts their coats away into the back seats. She hops into the driver's seat." Buckle up!" she instructs playfully. She quirks an eyebrow when Hyunjin rolls her eyes at her. "Come on, you have to be safe. I don't want anything bad to happen before our date."

At this, Hyunjin blushes. "I always put my seatbelt on," she mumbles in protest, swatting away Heejin's hand when she reaches across to do it for her. 

"I know," Heejin says, grinning at her. "You're just fun to tease."

They make it to the ice rink without any problems, despite the weather threatening to turn from light rain to hail. When they get out of the car, both of them shiver at the drop in temperature from earlier. Heejin hurries to get their coats from the back seats, and she makes her way to where Hyunjin's standing, already shaking from the cold. Gently, Heejin slides the coat onto her, helping her arms to the right places. 

"Here," she says, lowering her hands to do up the buttons on the coat. When she looks up, she's met with the sight of a red-cheeked Hyunjin. It's clear that the color isn't just from the weather. Savoring the moment, Heejin takes her time fixing the buttons, and when she reaches Hyunjin's collar, she tugs on it slightly, bringing her even closer. Raising herself on her toes, Heejin leans in and presses a lingering kiss to Hyunjin's cheek.

"Let's go," she says, pulling back. She laughs at the dazed expression on Hyunjin's face. 

Pleased with herself, Heejin skips off towards the building, Hyunjin following close behind her, overwhelmed from the kiss. Though they've always been affectionate with each other, Hyunjin's still not accustomed to acts like this from Heejin.

They queue up behind a small cluster of rowdy teenage boys, all jostling with each other. One of them turns around and stares at them for several seconds, before whispering in his friend's ear. The pair of them keep nudging each other and glancing back. Heejin rolls her eyes and slips her hand into Hyunjin's, pressing herself into Hyunjin's side. 

Hyunjin glares at one of the boys who's clearly drooling over Heejin. The boys barely look 15, but she can hear some of them making inappropriate comments. She's just gearing up to tap one of them shoulder and give him an earful, when she hears a familiar voice calling out to her.

Standing on her tiptoes, she catches a glimpse of Sooyoung, manning the ticket booth. Sooyoung waves at her, beckoning for her to jump the queue. Hyunjin has no qualms about overtaking the obnoxious group of boys, so she gently pulls Heejin along with her to the front of the queue. 

When they reach the booth, Sooyoung grins at them. "I didn't know you guys were coming today," she remarks. "Heejin, I thought you would have told Jiwoo about this."

Heejin ducks her head. "I did but uhh..."

Sooyoung tilts her head, surveying them both. "Oh, you didn't tell her the full story, huh?" she says, trying to piece it together. "Are you guys on a date?"

There's a long pause, during which Heejin looks at Hyunjin, slightly panicked. Hyunjin squeezes her hand comfortingly.

"Yeah we're on a date," Hyunjin confirms. She hears a high-pitched squeak from Heejin, which makes her chuckle. 

"Wow, I thought it would take you two way longer to figure your feelings out," Sooyoung says. She's looking thoroughly triumphant at the news. "Don't worry, we didn't have bets going on, but I would win if we did. Jungeun and Jiwoo thought you would graduate before you realized."

Hyunjin crosses her arms. "Can we get the tickets, please?" she asks. 

"I'm paying," Heejin states. She smacks Hyunjin's arm, seeing her inching towards the wallet in her coat pocket. 

"Fine, but we should get a discount," Hyunjin settles. Even though Heejin was the one to ask her out, she feels it would be unfair to not contribute in some way. "Then I'll get us food later."

"Hold on, I can't just dish out discounts," Sooyoung protests. "The manager will probably fire me if he sees me getting you guys in for lower than usual. I need a valid reason."

"Think about what Jiwoo would think if she finds out you didn't help us," Hyunjin says, her eyes glinting. She knows the bribe will work now that Jiwoo's in the equation. After all, she's Sooyoung's weak point.

Sooyoung eyes the pair of them, then her expression softens. "Fine, I'll give you a discount but only because Jiwoo will kill me if I don't," she says. Quickly, she stamps their tickets and gives Heejin the extra change. "Have fun on your date! Don't forget to tell us all the details, especially if you guys end up-"

Before Sooyoung can finish her sentence, Heejin pushes Hyunjin through the barrier, so they're no longer holding up the queue. Hyunjin glances back to see Sooyoung waving at them, and she sticks a finger up in response, which earns her a stern look from Heejin.

"Be nice to Sooyoung, she just gave us a discount," she says.

Hyunjin glowers. "She was making assumptions about us," she says. 

"She's just playing around," Heejin says softly. "If it's really a problem, I can ask Jiwoo to sort it out with her. Sooyoung would understand."

"No, it's fine," Hyunjin waves it off. "It's just that we've known each other for months and this is only our first date, I can't believe she'd think that we'd have sex already."

Heejin pulls Hyunjin in for a hug, rubbing her hands up and down her back. "She's always teasing everyone, she didn't mean it. I think she knows we wouldn't. Anyway, you only just turned eighteen, so..." She trails off, unsure of where to steer the conversation. She pulls back from the hug, and sees that Hyunjin looks a little more at ease now. "Look, let's get on the ice, then you'll forget about it'"

Knowing that Heejin's right, Hyunjin lets herself be lead to the lockers, next to the boot shelves. They tuck their coats away, then exchange their shoes for skates at the counter. Heejin patters over to a bench and motions for Hyunjin to sit opposite her. Once Hyunjin's seated, Heejin reaches across and slides one of the ice skates onto Hyunjin's foot and ties the laces for her. Hyunjin returns the favor, and soon they're prepared to get onto the rink.

"I haven't done this in years," Hyunjin warns. "I should have told you before we came."

"It's easy, just like riding a bike," Heejin reassures. "You'll get used to it quickly."

Hyunjin's far from convinced, so she makes sure to grab onto Heejin's sleeve when they step onto the ice, in case she feels like she's about to fall over. They start off slowly, Heejin leading Hyunjin as they skate carefully around the outside of the rink, as close to the barriers as possible. Soon, they pick up the pace, but Hyunjin's determined to keep her grip on Heejin. 

After a while, Heejin stops on the side. She pries Hyunjin's hand off her shirt. "See if you can do it by yourself," she says. "I'll be next to you." 

Though she's worried, Hyunjin nods and starts skating again, without Heejin's guidance. She's surprised at how easy it is, even after all this time. She gets braver with each lap of the ice rink, and at one point she lifts one leg up to see if she can balance. Heejin claps proudly, and Hyunjin wants nothing more than to pull Heejin close and kiss her senseless. That would be a tricky feat on the ice, and even if they were elsewhere, she wouldn't have the guts to do such a thing. Instead, when they have a quick rest a couple of laps later, Hyunjin plucks up the courage to press a quick kiss to Heejin's cheek. Her pulse quickens when Heejin grabs her waist and buries her face into Hyunjin's neck, murmuring something inaudible. Heejin's blushing when she moves away from Hyunjin, setting off to skate again.

The time passes quickly. They're too engrossed in each other to notice the five minute warning about the skating session ending. 

Hyunjin's pleased with her progress, glad that she hasn't slipped once. She's had some close shaves, but nothing that's managed to knock her over. At one point, she notices the boys from earlier, pointing at Heejin, so she skates behind them quietly and nudges past one of them. He stumbles into one of his friends, which sets off a domino effect, and a bunch of them slide into the sideboards and fall over. She thinks they thoroughly deserve it. 

All too soon, the session is over, and they return to the lockers to retrieve their belongings. This time, Hyunjin does Heejin's coat up for her, earning the sweetest of smiles by way of thanks. Heejin's eager to show Hyunjin the Christmas market just down the road from the ice rink, so they head back to the car and drive a few minutes to find the place. 

They walk amongst the stalls, browsing through the crafts and food. Hyunjin buys gingerbread cookies and hot chocolate for them to share, but she lets Heejin have most of the spoils.

After a couple of hours, they make their way back to the car. Luckily it's not raining anymore. Instead, small snowflakes drift in the wind, landing on their hair and dusting their coats. Hyunjin reaches over and brushes some snow off Heejin's nose, causing her to giggle.

"You look cute with snow in your hair," Hyunjin comments. 

"What, I don't usually look cute?" Heejin challenges, pouting at her. It's a deliberate ploy and Hyunjin's well aware of that fact, but she decides to play along.

"You don't look cute," she says, sticking out her tongue at Heejin. 

"That's rude," Heejin huffs.

Hyunjin shuffles her feet. She's careful to look Heejin in the eye, fighting the urge to look away out of nerves. "I mean, you're cute," she begins. "It's just that most of the time I think you're breathtaking."

Heejin stops in her tracks and gapes up at Hyunjin. "You really think that?" she asks in a tiny voice. 

"Of course," Hyunjin replies. She can't understand why Heejin would be surprised by this. "You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."

"Shut up, that's not true," Heejin says, looking embarrassed. "You're friends with Haseul and she's an absolute visual. Plus you know Jinsoul and Jungeun and they're ridiculously pretty."

Hyunjin laughs. "Heejin, you're honestly the hottest person I know, I'm not joking with you. How many times do you want me to repeat it?"

Heejin's still looking at her with disbelief. It's only when Hyunjin takes a step closer to her that she finally seems to collect herself. She moves toward Hyunjin, her feet almost moving of their own accord. 

"I'm so glad you asked me out," Hyunjin says in a low voice, her gaze flitting down to Heejin's lips.

"Well, I knew you would be too much of a mess to ask me yourself," Heejin teases, her eyelids fluttering shut. 

They lean in at the same time, meeting each other halfway. Hyunjin tastes a snowflake on Heejin's lips as she kisses her. They break apart, savoring the kiss. For a second, they look at each other, as if asking a silent question.

Heejin reaches up and threads her fingers through Hyunjin's hair, surging forward to kiss her again. It's in this moment that it truly hits Hyunjin: she's completely in love with Heejin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [my twitter](https://twitter.com/chuulipseuls)


	4. a flash in my heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they're both whipped.

The whole car ride home back to Heejin's house consists of Hyunjin switching radio stations every couple of minutes, her fingers constantly toying nervously with the buttons. Eventually Heejin places a hand over hers, to calm her down. Their hand holding doesn't last long before Hyunjin chides Heejin for driving one-handed. At her concern, Heejin just rolls her eyes, but she returns both hands to the steering wheel just to humor Hyunjin.

When they pull up in Heejin's driveway, they sit in the car in silence for a minute. 

Heejin senses Hyunjin's apprehension. "You know that just because you're spending the night doesn't mean that we're going to do anything, right?"

"Yeah I know," Hyunjin gives her an appreciative smile. "It's just, after Sooyoung made that comment I keep thinking-" She stops herself and looks down at her hands, embarrassed. "I want to, but I think it's too soon."

Nodding in understanding, Heejin reaches over and laces her fingers with Hyunjin's. "Don't worry," she soothes. "I wasn't thinking that we would. You're right, it's too soon. Anyway, my parents are home and there's no way I'm doing anything whilst they're here."

"Guess I'll have to come over when they're not around," Hyunjin smirks, forgetting her nerves. She laughs when Heejin blushes deeply at her comment.

Reluctantly, Heejin pulls her hand away in order to unbuckle her seatbelt. "Come on." She gets out of the car, but doesn't open Hyunjin's door for her this time. They head up the steps to the house, and Heejin sneaks in a quick kiss before she pushes the door open. To Hyunjin's relief, Heejin's mother doesn't appear out of thin air to reprimand them for inappropriate behavior (Hyunjin's been warned that Heejin's parents have eagle eyes when it comes to any displays of affection). They're safe, as long as they don't do anything suspect out in the open. Heejin's parents are sweethearts, but Hyunjin would rather avoid a lecture from them about their daughter.

As they've already had a dinner of sorts, consisting of snacks from the night market, there's no need for them to cook something up. Before they head upstairs, Heejin says goodnight to her parents, who are sat in the living room watching television. Hyunjin greets them briefly, thanking them for letting her stay over. Predicting that her mother will strike up a long conversation if they don't leave soon, Heejin ushers Hyunjin out of the room and leads her up to her room.

Hyunjin makes herself comfortable on Heejin's bed, piling up pillows to make it as cosy as possible for them.

"Do you want to watch something?" Heejin asks, sorting through her desk to clear away the papers stacked on top of her laptop. She turns back to Hyunjin, who's grinning wickedly.

"What about  _A Tale of Two Sisters_?" she suggests.

Heejin arches an eyebrow at her. "Seriously? A horror film?" 

"What?" Hyunjin pouts. "It's a good film! If you get scared you can just hold my hand."

"You don't need excuses to hold my hand," Heejin murmurs, climbing across the bed to settle herself next to Hyunjin. She turns her head and gazes at the girl. "Or to kiss me. That's an important one to remember." 

"Oh really?" Hyunjin knows her teasing will only spur Heejin on, and she smiles when Heejin tilts her head closer. Their noses brush against each other and they both giggle.

"You're way too pretty," Heejin breathes, skating her fingers over the curve of Hyunjin's cheek. She draws her in, kissing her more fervently than earlier.

Hyunjin pulls away all of a sudden. "You didn't put the movie on," she whines, ignoring Heejin's sounds of protest. She's about to slide off the bed and bring the laptop over, but she's stopped by the feeling of Heejin's hands on her waist, tugging her back down onto the bed. Grinning, she gives into Heejin's kisses and forgets about the movie altogether.

 

* * *

 

In the morning, Hyunjin's awoken by an eager Heejin, who practically drags her out of bed. Heejin had insisted that they both sleep in her bed, not wanting to go to the effort of finding a mattress for the floor. Hyunjin certainly didn't haven't any complaints about that; they fell asleep in each other's arms and Hyunjin had the most peaceful sleep she's had in weeks.

It turns out that the reason why Heejin woke her up so early on a weekend morning is because she's made pancakes for the two of them. Hyunjin stands in the kitchen, bleary-eyed, watching Heejin drizzle maple syrup over a towering stack of pancakes. She's not quite awake enough to process many things, but she has the capacity to fawn over how adorable Heejin is at this moment in time. Hyunjin thinks that Heejin is undeniably the perfect girlfriend. That's enough to wake her up fully, because they're not official yet, but already she's daydreaming about spending her mornings with Heejin. She realizes she's definitely whipped. As if there were any doubts about that, though. If she were to text Yerim right now, she'd get a slew of messages in reply telling her to grow up and just  _ask_ Heejin already.

Hyunjin finds herself wrapping her arms around Heejin when she's in the middle of decorating a pancake with blueberries. Then, before she can help herself, she's blurting out-

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

A startled Heejin whirls round to face her. Their expressions mirror each other's. There's a long pause and then Heejin slaps Hyunjin's shoulder.

"Oww!" Hyunjin sulks, rubbing her arm. 

"I can't believe you," Heejin sighs. She lets go of the spatula she's holding, placing it on the kitchen counter behind her. "I wanted to ask you first."

Hyunjin gapes at her. "Wait, you what?"

"You really think I wouldn't want to date you?" Heejin laughs, astonished by Hyunjin's naivety. "I mean,  _I_ was the one who had the guts to speak to you first, I was the one who said I wished we could have kissed at the party, I asked you on a date first. So yeah, I want to be your girlfriend."

It's not quite as romantic as Hyunjin had fantasized in her head, but she couldn't care less about that right now. She surges forward, pouring every ounce of her emotions into the kiss. She doesn't even consider the fact that Heejin's parents might walk in on them at any second. Instead, she focuses on Heejin, the way she smiles into the kiss, the feeling of Heejin's hands on her cheek and at her back, pressing closer to her. 

When they pull apart, Heejin keeps one hand on the small of her back. "Want to decorate the rest of these pancakes with me?" she asks. When Hyunjin takes too long to think over her proposition, Heejin resorts to using her puppy eyes to persuade Hyunjin. It doesn't take long for Hyunjin to crack, and she willingly helps Heejin prepare breakfast.

Time flashes past as they lounge around in Heejin's room, and suddenly they realize that it's late afternoon and Hyunjin really needs to get home to finish off her schoolwork. She makes sure to thank Heejin's parents again for their hospitality. Then it's just her and Heejin, standing on the front porch, reluctant to say goodbye. Hyunjin kisses Heejin and promises to text her when she gets home. 

Heejin smiles from the doorway as Hyunjin climbs into her car. "Drive safe!" she calls.

Hyunjin doesn't want to leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [my twitter](https://twitter.com/chuulipseuls)


	5. love beyond imagination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Heejin and Hyunjin realize what's most important to them.

The prospect of exams and university applications had always been looming on the horizon, but now that they are coming up fast, Hyunjin rarely has time to do anything except study and play sports. Ever supportive, Heejin comes to every single one of her games and sits in the bleachers, in a prime place for Hyunjin to see her cheering for her. Most of the time, Heejin brings Chaewon along with her, and occasionally she's accompanied by Jiwoo and Sooyoung. Every so often, Jinsoul and Jungeun turn up as well. It makes Hyunjin less nervous when they're in the crowd. She's had to be on top form in her matches, since she's vying for a university scholarship. Several scouts have put her on their watchlist. It raises the pressure on her, but it also means that the better she does in her games, there's less need to get full marks in her exams. Still, she studies every chance she gets. 

Her and Heejin study together, but they've decided to do their revision at the cafe, or library. The main reason for this is that they won't get hassled by their parents. They've each told their parents about their relationship. Both families took it well, but Heejin's mother was quick to insist that Heejin keeps the door open when Hyunjin's round studying. They know she has the best intentions, but it's more an issue of her coming into the room every five minutes to check on them. To avoid the constant disruptions, they promise her they won't get distracted by each other when they're studying, even out at the cafe. 

It's since become a habit to do their revision with Jinsoul and Jungeun, when they have time in between lectures, or on the weekends. On one such occasion, Hyunjin meets up with them by herself, as Heejin says that her parents have guests at the house and she needs to be there.

These study sessions usually only last a couple of hours, before the girls become restless and end up chatting animatedly. This time is no different.

"How are you and Heejin doing?" Jungeun asks. She pushes her laptop to the side, eager to hear what Hyunjin has to say. On the other hand, Jinsoul still has her head buried in her books.

"It's going great," Hyunjin replies. 

Jinsoul enters the conversation. "How are things going in the bedroom?"

"You can't just ask that!" Jungeun chides.

Averting her eyes, Hyunjin stares down at the table. "We're not really..." she trails off.

"Ah, so you guys haven't done anything like that yet?" Jinsoul asks curiously. 

Hyunjin shakes her head. "I mean, we've come close, but I don't want to just make the assumption that Heejin's ready, you know? I feel like it might be awkward if I flat out ask her if she's comfortable with certain things." 

Jinsoul eyes her over the top of her textbook. "Hyunjin, you've really got to loosen up," she says. "Talk to Heejin, she'll totally understand where you're coming from." 

"Look, Heejin's head over heels for you," Jungeun adds. "She'll do anything you ask."

"Yeah,  _anything_ ," Jinsoul wiggles her eyebrows. "Even-"

"That's enough, babe, we know what you're implying," Jungeun rolls her eyes at her girlfriend. She sends Hyunjin an apologetic look. "Hey, don't feel pressured into anything, okay? You and Heejin are taking things at your own pace, and that's really good."

"Unlike Jungeun and I, when we hooked up like two days after meeting," Jinsoul quips. She folds her arms, looking smug. Jungeun wacks her for making that comment.

In all honesty, Hyunjin is finding this conversation pretty amusing, even if it does stem from the topic of her and Heejin's relationship. She watches as Jinsoul tickles Jungeun in return for her slap, and the two of them become engrossed in a playfight. It's definitely cute, but if it were anyone but them, Hyunjin would probably make a show of acting disgusted at their antics.

Turning her attention to her book, Hyunjin is taken by surprise when she feels a pair of hands on her shoulders. She whips her head up, noting that both Jungeun and Jinsoul are still sat opposite her.

A nose tickles her ear. "Hey babe."

Hyunjin's face lights up as she turns around to face Heejin. "What are you doing here?" she grins.

"Jungeun texted me and told me to - and I quote - get my ass here as fast as possible, so I didn't want to disappoint," Heejin explains. She leans down and gives Hyunjin a kiss, before pulling out the chair next to her. "Do you guys want another drink?" she asks, looking at them all expectantly.

"I'll have another coffee," Jungeun requests. Hyunjin and Jinsoul take up Heejin's offer, both getting a hot chocolate. Heejin jumps up from the table to grab the orders. When she returns, they all settle down comfortably.

Jinsoul beams at the girls. "We finally got that double date with you guys," she says. "Remember that time I tutored you guys here and Hyunjin totally freaked out at the thought of dating Heejin? How times have changed." She sighs dreamily, lacing her fingers with Jungeun's.

"I remember Heejin told us that she wished it could have been a double date," Jungeun says, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Right, and I almost spilled that to Hyunjin, but you told me to shut up," Jinsoul laughs, reminiscing. 

Heejin blushes slightly, but she takes it in her stride. "Well it's true, I did want that to be a date," she says.

"God, that feels like so long ago," Hyunjin leans her head against Heejin. "I can't believe you liked me since then."

"Technically, I liked you since the first day of summer school," Heejin says, a teasing lilt to her tone. "So it's even longer."

Hyunjin's well aware of the details of Heejin's feelings for her, so this isn't new information, but it doesn't fail to make her smile. They've spent countless conversations marvelling at their sheer obliviousness, wondering how on earth they could have been so in the dark about each other's feelings when they were always so glaringly obvious about it. At the very least, it's some comfort to know that they harbored feelings for each other for the same amount of time. The first day of summer school wasn't the first time they'd spoken to each other, but it was the first time they both felt a spark, of sorts. 

"You two are so sweet," Jungeun remarks, gazing happily at them. 

"Same goes for you and Jinsoul," Heejin grins back at her. 

After they've spent enough time at the cafe, the girls part ways. Jinsoul and Jungeun head back to their campus, whilst Heejin and Hyunjin walk home together. When they reach Hyunjin's house, Heejin kisses her and makes to leave. She doesn't get far down the steps before Hyunjin calls out to her.

"Hold on," Hyunjin says. "Do you want to come in?"

Heejin looks delighted. "I'd love to," she says, leaping back up the steps. "Will your parents be okay with that? It's been a while since I've been here, and now they know we're dating...it won't be awkward?"

Bashful, Hyunjin shakes her head. "Actually, they're not here," she says. "They're at some business conference in the city."

"Okay, that's fine," Heejin says, content. "I won't stay for dinner though, I don't want your mother to go to the extra effort."

"About that," Hyunjin starts. She fiddles with the sleeves of her jacket. "They've booked a hotel."

The penny drops. " _Oh_ ," Heejin says. She bites on her lip, trying to contain her smile. "So, do you want me to stay over?"

"Yeah, I would," Hyunjin replies. 

Heejin takes a step closer to her. "I don't want to make assumptions, but does this mean that you're ready?" she asks.

"I am," Hyunjin nods. "But only if you want to, I don't want to pressure you or anything."

"No need to worry," Heejin says, circling her arms around Hyunjin's neck, drawing her closer. 

After they've eaten dinner, which consists of a takeaway pizza, they lie on Hyunjin's bed, flicking through Hyunjn's university prospectuses. 

"Do you think I'll get in to university?" Hyunjin asks nervously.

Heejin gazes at her. "I have absolutely no doubt that you'll do amazing," she says. "You're so smart and you've always been in the top ten at school. Plus, you're so talented at sports. Given that this is a sports scholarship, I know you'll get in, no problem."

"You're just biased," Hyunjin murmurs, leaning in for a kiss. She drops the brochure off the edge of the bed, but doesn't bother to retrieve it. Instead, she pulls Heejin onto her lap, deepening the kiss.

"I don't think it's a bad thing that I'm biased," Heejin says, pulling back for a moment. "But I'm being objective here. Everyone agrees that you're one of the best students in our grade. You shouldn't doubt yourself."

Hyunjin smiles at her. "I love you so much," she hums, snaking her hands around Heejin's waist. Heejin leans back down to kiss her, and this time there's more fervour behind it. Hyunjin slips a hand under Heejin's shirt, brushing against Heejin's stomach tentatively. Heejin does the rest for her, pulling her own shirt off. They've done this before, but never gone much further, and suddenly Hyunjin's nervous.

Heejin rests on her heels, letting Hyunjin sit up. Heejin reaches out for Hyunjin's shirt, dragging it over her head. They look at each other for a second, taking the time to consider what they're about to do. Hyunjin threads a hand through Heejin's hair, pressing a kiss against her throat. Her free hand trails up Heejin's back, stopping at the clasp of her bra. She lifts her head, meeting Heejin's eyes.

"Is this okay?" she asks. 

"Yes," Heejin breathes, her eyes darkening ever so slightly. She skims her fingers across Hyunjin's cheek, tilting her head up so she can kiss her again. "I want this."

 

* * *

 

Jinsoul teases Hyunjin to no end about her and Heejin's relationship now. It's all good things, most of her comments make Hyunjin laugh. She's glad she has someone like Jinsoul to confide in. That person used to be Haseul, but now she rarely gets to see her, because Haseul's been promoted at her work. Along with her new role, Haseul's been busy preparing to move in to an apartment with Sooyoung, Jiwoo and Vivi. To some, it might be seen as a bit of a risk that Haseul's living with her girlfriend, when they've only been dating a little while. Hyunjin thinks that if anyone can remain stable, it's Haseul and Vivi; they've been friends for years and pined over each other for much of that time, so there's a strong foundation there. Besides, Jiwoo and Sooyoung are around to keep them in check if anything does go awry.

Everything is changing at once, but there are some constants in Hyunjin's life. The main aspect being her and Heejin's relationship. They've had many discussions about their next steps, tackling university and all the obstacles surrounding it. Now that exams are over, they can relax a little and look forward to graduation. They're set to attend university in the same city, at least, though that wasn't a decision centred on their desire to stay together. Though their parents are supportive of them, they were very careful to let the girls know that they wanted their university choices to be based on what they want to study, not just because they want to be near each other.

Hyunjin is incredibly content with the ways things are going. That is, until Yujin approaches her one day before class starts.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Yujin taps her on the shoulder. She looks pretty scared, and Hyunjin has no clue what on earth she's about to say to her. She catches a glimpse of Heejin standing nearby, her arms crossed, eyes trained on Yujin. There's still tension between the two of them, and no matter how much Yujin tries to assure Heejin that she has no ill intentions, Heejin remains on alert. At least she can hold a conversation with Yujin.

"Go ahead," Hyunjin says. "Just so you know, Heejin's watching you like a hawk, though."

Yujin rolls her eyes. "Like she's not doing that all the time," she says, not unkindly. "It's sweet that she gets protective of you, huh?"

"I guess," Hyunjin shrugs. "So, what did you want to ask?"

"What kind of present do you think I should get Seoyeon for her birthday?" Yujin asks. 

Hyunjin frowns. "Her birthday isn't for a few weeks, right?" she tries to remember the date. 

"Yeah, but I need time to come up with something she'll love," Yujin says. "I don't want it to be like any other present. It has to have a meaning behind it, you know?"

"Oh, I get it," Hyunjin grins. "I can't really say anything for certain, but I'm pretty sure she likes you back. She'll love anything you get her."

Yujin huffs. "But it needs to be special."

"I'll help you with the plan," Hyunjin offers. "Give me a few days and I'll get back to you with some ideas."

That seems to satisfy Yujin. She skips off, no doubt to tell her friends about the news.

"What did she want?" Heejin asks, sauntering over to Hyunjin's desk. She still looks a bit suspicious.

Hyunjin pinches her cheek playfully. "Relax, she wasn't confessing her love to me or anything." That prompts the opposite response she expected; Heejin pouts at her and her mouth turns down in a frown. "Heejin, there's nothing going on, I'm serious."

"I know, but I still don't fully trust her," Heejin grumbles. "I mean, she doesn't have the best reputation."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hyunjin snaps. 

Taken aback by the sudden change of tone, Heejin shrinks a little. "I just meant that she has a reputation for running away from things," she explains. "You know, like abandoning you and not apologizing for it."

"She didn't apologize at the time, but she did when she came back," Hyunjin says. Her expression softens, and she pulls Heejin in for a hug. "Sorry I snapped at you, but I thought you were going to say that she's got a bad reputation. She's my friend and I don't like it when people say things about her."

"I get it," Heejin says. "I guess I just don't want you to be disappointed by her again."

That makes Hyunjin smile. "She won't do that to me," she says. "It's sweet that you're looking out for me like that."

"Well, I  _am_ your girlfriend," Heejin says, stealing a quick kiss. No one in the room seems to notice. "Can you tell me what you guys talked about, though? It looked like she was asking you something serious."

"Okay, don't tell anyone else," Hyunjin urges. "She wants help finding a good present for Seoyeon."

Heejin raises an eyebrow. "Seoyeon's practically in love with her already, I bet Yujin could give her gummy bears and Seoyeon would ask her to get married."

"Right? They're perfect for each other!"

 

* * *

 

On graduation day, Heejin turns up at Hyunjin's house a whole hour earlier than they'd planned, clutching a large bouquet of flowers. Hyunjin puts them in her mother's best vase, and sets them proudly on the mantle place in the dining room. 

"When we take a photo together in our uniforms, we can frame it and I'll put it up here," Hyunjin says. "Pride of place."

"Your parents won't mind that?" Heejin asks. Her eyes look a little glossy.

Hyunjin kisses her. "My parents wouldn't want it anywhere else," she says. "They really love you."

"Yes, you're already like a daughter-in-law," Hyunjin's mother interjects, appearing behind them suddenly. She envelops Heejin in a tight embrace. "I'm so proud of you both. Heejin, we couldn't ask for a sweeter girl than you to be Hyunjin's girlfriend. You know you are welcome in our home anytime."

Heejin can't hold back her tears. She buries her face in Hyunjin's mother's shoulder. "Thank you so much, Mrs Kim," she says, sniffling slightly. "For being so supportive of Hyunjin and being so kind to me."

"Stop, you're going to make me cry as well," Hyunjin's mother wails. "Hyunjin, grab the tissues."

Their friends all attend the ceremony, with the exception of Haseul and Vivi. Haseul sent Hyunjin a letter and a gift by way of congratulations, saying that she's devastated she can't make her graduation. She's currently in Tokyo, attending a company conference with Vivi. 

Hyunjin looks out at the audience when she receives her certificate, and she almost bursts into tears at the sight of Jinsoul, Jungeun, Sooyoung and Jiwoo all on their feet, clapping and cheering loudly for her. As she takes her seat again, Heejin grabs her hand and gives her a dazzling smile. "I'm so proud of you," she whispers. "I love you."

The hall is crowded after the ceremony ends, but they make their way to the back of the room to give their parents hugs, before joining Sooyoung and Jiwoo.

"Congratulations you two!" Jiwoo squeals, opening her arms wide for a group hug. She pulls Sooyoung in to join them as well. The four of them squish together, all erupting into a giggling fit.

"Guys, I can't breathe," Sooyoung wheezes, attempting to break away from the death grip Jiwoo has on her shoulders. 

From nearby, Jungeun chuckles. "You guys are all so cute," she says. She stands with Jinsoul clinging to her arm. 

"I love your new hair color," Heejin grins. She steps over to Jungeun and runs her fingers through her hair. "It looks really great, brunette suits you."

"The color's back to normal," Jiwoo comments. 

Jinsoul pulls a face. "Technically her blonde hair was normal," she says.

"Maybe for you," Jiwoo grins. "Now it's like we're back at high school!"

"Except now you don't have a crush on Jungeun anymore," Jinsoul quips. She smiles warmly.

Jiwoo blushes a little. "Hey, that was a while back, I'm way over it," she says, though she knows Jinsoul's saying it in good faith. Her hand finds Sooyoung's. 

"Well, I think we're  _all_ past that," Sooyoung adds, with a smirk. "Remember when you guys came over and the four of us had-"

Jungeun smacks Sooyoung's arm. "Hey, not in front of the kids!" She glances pointedly at Heejin and Hyunjin, who are watching the other girls curiously. 

Heejin's the one to pipe up. "What did you guys do?" she asks, grinning impishly. 

No one dares answer her. They all look around the group awkwardly, 

"If no one's going to tell us, I'm just going to assume the worst," Heejin declares, crossing her arms stubbornly. "But when I say the worst, I don't think it was all that bad. Was that the only time you've had  _fun_  together?"

Jungeun bursts out coughing. Her cheeks go crimson, the tips of her ears matching them. "That's not - we just -" she stutters. Her friends don't rush to her rescue. "Okay, maybe it's partly true," she says, admitting defeat. "Thanks for the help, guys." She glares at the others. 

In response, Jiwoo just shrugs. "None of us were together at that point, to be fair," she says. 

"Yeah, that's not really a good defence," Sooyoung laughs.

Hyunjin stares incredulously at them. "So you're telling us that you four really - at the same time? Are you serious?" She can't fathom the idea. Not that she really wants to imagine that scenario anymore than she already has, thanks to Heejin's interpretation.

"You're making it a bigger deal than it actually is," Jinsoul says. "Not that we're going to give details-"

"But we could," Sooyoung cuts in. 

"No chance in hell," Jungeun threatens. "This stays between us."

Everyone stands there, amused smiles adorning their faces. Again, Heejin's the one to speak up. 

"This explains why you guys were totally okay with kissing each other at mine and Jiwoo's party!" she claps her hands, pleased with herself. "I always wondered how you could be so chill about it."

"Maybe it's because they're so secure in their relationships," Hyunjin suggests. 

Jinsoul shakes her head. "Heejin's kind of right," she admits. 

"Okay, but what about Jungeun and Haseul, though?" Heejin asks. She continues before anyone can halt her. "It's just that I feel like there was something behind that kiss. I mean, Jinsoul did say that you'd been there before." A tense silence descends upon the group. She catches sight of Jinsoul gritting her teeth. Clearly she's struck a nerve. "Sorry, I didn't mean to bring that up, if it makes you uncomfortable," Heejin apologizes.

Jungeun offers her a tepid smile. "It's okay, don't worry," she soothes. "The only story you need to know is that Haseul and I kissed at a party ages ago, before any of us got together. We didn't hook up, though. It made Jinsoul jealous and at the next party she confessed her feelings to me. So really, it was a good thing Haseul kissed me."

Jinsoul narrows her eyes. 

"Hey, babe, I was just joking," Jungeun says, lacing her fingers through Jinsoul's. "Look, I meant-"

"I know," Jinsoul says. "It's okay. It's just that it reminds me of how anxious I was to tell you my feelings, and how I kept putting it off."

"Kind of like Hyunjin!" Sooyoung teases. She nudges Hyunjin, who pushes her off playfully. "Well, Heejin as well. You both were so hesitant."

Hyunjin rolls her eyes. "Okay, that's fair," she concedes. She grins at Heejin, who wraps an arm around her waist and presses a kiss to her cheek.

"Well, I think it's safe to say that things worked out between you, despite you both being useless," Jiwoo says. She beams at them. "It feels like it was only yesterday that Heejin came to me to tell me that she was in love with Hyunjin."

Jinsoul smirks. "The same thing happened on Hyunjin's part," she comments. "I think all of us did a great job on being their wing-women."

"Yeah, we should get a prize," Sooyoung jests.

Jungeun regards the group of friends and her eyes sparkle with tears. "I'm so proud of you guys," she says. "So, what's next?"

"You mean what's next after school?" Hyunjin asks. "I don't know, it depends on our grades, I guess."

"No, I meant what's next right now," Jungeun laughs. "You guys want to go out for lunch?"

As she looks around at her friends and her girlfriend, Hyunjin can't think of anything else she'd rather do. "Yeah, that sounds perfect," she says.

"Come on then!" Heejin exclaims eagerly. She grasps Hyunjin's hand. "Everyone ready?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this story! I really loved writing 2jin, it was a lot of fun.
> 
> Thank you for reading! All your comments and feedback are really kind, so thank you!
> 
> [my twitter](https://twitter.com/chuulipseuls)


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